


Pokemon: Question of Fate

by EeviumZ



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 09:28:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21336001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EeviumZ/pseuds/EeviumZ
Summary: Thirteen-year-old Sylvia desperately desires to leave her humble home and see the world around her. Unfortunately, her parents have a different intention for her future.
Kudos: 1





	Pokemon: Question of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, friends!  
My name is EeviumZ, and I am a new AO3 member. I'm also a fairly new writer, so I'm always looking for constructive criticism too - everything helps!  
The rating may change to Teen and Up later, depending on where I decide to take this - but it will remain for general audiences for the foreseeable future.  
Without further ado, let's begin!

Sylvia had always been a relatively reserved child.

For her whole life, her small farmhouse was all she knew. She was homeschooled, and her rural property meant that she rarely saw other children her age. She didn't mind this, however. She had other companions, in the form of Pokemon.

Her parents ran a Pokemon Daycare center, with plenty of Pokemon to care for daily. This meant that Sylvia was never bored, as she was always either assisting her parents or playing with the Pokemon.

However, she did have one other passion: art.

It seemed that she was always wearing her denim overalls, and when she wore said overalls, you could always count at least three paintbrushes in her pockets. She always had her sketchbook on her, in case she saw something that inspired her. She was always looking for the artistic parts of life.

Finally, when she was eight years old, she met another child: Adelyn Brown. Adelyn was one year older than her, and had a drastically different lifestyle. Adelyn was outgoing and energetic, with a love for life. She often teased Sylvia for the splatters of paint always visible on her clothes, although Sylvia was never offended.

However, about one year later, when Sylvia was nine and Adelyn was ten, Adelyn began telling Sylvia about Pokemon training. She talked about the Gym Challenge, the Pokemon League, famous Trainers, and the like. Sylvia was enchanted by these stories, always asking to hear more.

One day, when Adelyn was twelve, she left on her journey. Sylvia was devastated, but was consoled when her parents reluctantly agreed to let the pair video-chat every few days.

Sylvia eagerly waited each day for Adelyn to call, and Adelyn's stories grew more and more interesting. Stories of Pokemon, battles, performances, and more. Eventually, Sylvia decided that she wanted to go on her journey too.

Every day, she persuaded her parents to let her journey. Her parents gave her the same answer every time: she would get her first Pokemon when she was thirteen years old. Naturally, Sylvia relayed this information to Adelyn, who was ecstatic. The pair eagerly counted down the days to Sylvia's birthday.

And that day was today.

It was a beautiful September morning, with the autumn sun pouring in through the window of Sylvia's room. The thirteen-year-old's alarm promptly went off, and the girl shot up.

This was the day. She'd been waiting for this for years.

Barely containing her excitement, she immediately began her morning routine, showing more vigor than usual. She combed her long blonde hair, put on her typical outfit of paint-splattered denim overalls over a pink t-shirt, and placed a pencil behind her ear.

Finally, when she was sure everything was in order, she stepped out of her bedroom. The smell of pancakes delighted her senses, and she bolted into the kitchen. Her mother and father were already awake, cooking pancakes on the stovetop in two pans.

"Morning, Mum! Morning, Dad!" she cried, her voice quick and excited. She quickly hugged both her mother and father, before sitting down at the table, not missing a beat.

Her father laughed, a father's pride evident on his face. "Did you strike gold or something, Syl? What's up?"  
Sylvia's smile only grew wider. "The sky. But you know what's up dad! It's finally today! My birthday! My thirteenth birthday!"

"Oh, is it now?" her mother joked, much to Sylvia's playful exasperation.

Soon enough, the trio sat down for their breakfast. Sylvia barely spoke, wolfing down her food at lightning speed. Her parents chuckled at this.

When Sylvia inevitably finished, her mother was quick to speak. "Sylvia, could you please go check on the Pokemon? We've fed them already."

Sylvia gave a rushed nod before pushing her chair back much farther than usual. She ran to the back of the house, still possessing that eager smile.

Sylvia's family lived on a farm, therefore their property was massive. They had a sprawling backyard, complete with a fire pit, trampoline, and outdoor art studio for Sylvia. However, Sylvia ignored all of this today. She went out straight into the second portion of the backyard, where the Pokemon stayed.

The property was complete with small houses where the Pokemon could stay and rest, and a large yard where they could play and interact. When Sylvia opened the gate, every head in the yard turned towards her. The Pokemon cried out excitedly, all giving her some form of wave.

"Morning, everyone!" Sylvia exclaimed.

A Lillipup toddled over to her, as well as a Chansey and a Mudkip. She sat down on the grass, her blue eyes sparkling with joy.

The Mudkip motioned for her to watch, crying out excitedly. "Kip-kip!"

Sylvia's attention turned to the Water-type. "What's up, Kip?"

Mudkip proudly turned his head toward the sky, and shot a powerful sphere of water. Sylvia noted the increased power, identifying it as a Water Pulse.

"That's awesome, Kip! You finally mastered Water Pulse!" Sylvia squealed, much to Mudkip's happiness. The Mud Fish Pokemon cried out in excitement, hugging the girl with joy.

Sylvia remained outside for hours: playing with the Pokemon, painting at her art studio, jumping on her trampoline, trying to pass the time. Finally, the bell over at her house rang, signalling dinnertime.

Faster than a Pikachu that had used Agility, she ran towards the house, only to find that dinner was not ready. Instead, her parents were sitting on the couch, holding a wrapped present.

Sylvia's head tilted. "But I heard the dinner bell."

Sylvia's mother smiled. "The dinner bell is three chimes, remember? That was four chimes."

Sylvia could hardly contain her joy. "Is that present for me?"

Her parents responded by handing her the gift. "Don't shake it," her father warned.

Sylvia took this to mean that it was fragile, so she unwrapped the gift carefully. When she began tearing into the wrapping, her eyes went as large as dinner plates. "You didn't! Really?"

Her parents smiled, answering her question. Sylvia lunged towards them, hugging them tightly. "Ohmygodthankyouthankyouthankyou!" she squealed.

The gift was an egg incubator, holding a Pokemon egg. The egg had four stripes on it: a dark pink top, then a large light pink stripe, then a white stripe, and finally another light pink one on the bottom. The egg twitched occasionally, signalling that the hatching process had started already.

"Does this mean I can start my journey tomorrow?" Sylvia asked, excitedly. Her expression faded a bit when her parents exchanged looks. She'd seen those expressions before - and nothing good ever came of them. She shifted in her seat, laughing nervously. "I - I am starting my journey, right?"

Her mother was first to speak. "Sweetie…. We told you that you could get your first Pokemon on your birthday."  
Her father spoke next. "But… we didn't intend for you to start your journey."

Sylvia's expression was gone, replaced with one of confusion. "But… I don't understand."

There was a beat of silence, before her mother spoke again. "Sylvia, we intend for you to become a Breeder, like your father and I."

Sylvia stared at them for a second, her eyes flicking between her two parents. "T-This is a joke, right?" she said shakily, almost as if trying to convince herself.

"No, Sylvia. Breeding is what you are fated to do," her father said firmly.

Sylvia stood up, clutching her incubator. "I… don't want to be a Breeder. I want to see the world, like Adelyn."

Her father stood up as well. "This is why I didn't want you to befriend that girl. We knew she'd be a bad influence on you!"

Sylvia's expression was growing angrier, especially once her friend was insulted. "Adelyn is my best friend in the whole world! She cares about me, and wants me to have fun!"

Her mother stood up as well, her anger less evident that her husband, but still visible. "Sylvia, we only want what's best for you-"

Sylvia finally snapped, setting her incubator down. "WHAT'S BEST FOR ME? If you cared, you'd let me do what I've been dreaming of my ENTIRE LIFE! You just want me to be like YOU!"

"GO TO YOUR ROOM!" her father roared, slamming a fist down on the coffee table. Sylvia, barely containing her anger, picked up her incubator and stomped towards her room.

When Sylvia entered her room, she heard the lock click behind her seconds later. She flopped onto her bed, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Fate… who cares about fate?" she asked no one. "I want to be my own person…"

She sat on her bed for several minutes, tears rolling down her face. She finally made the decision to pick up her tablet and video-call her best friend.

The tablet rang for a few seconds, before Adelyn's face appeared on the screen. She was smiling, her fiery red hair messy as usual.

"Hey Sylvia? Have you left the house yet? What Pokemon did you pi- what's wrong?"

"My parents won't let me leave! They locked me in my room! They told me that I have to become a breeder, like them! I HATE IT!" she cried in anguish.

"My whole life, I wanted to see the world! And I thought that maybe, just maybe, they'd let up for once in my life and let me follow my dreams! But _noooo! _They need to keep up the family name! They don't care that I don't want to be like them, sitting at home and never getting to see the world! I thought they'd changed…. I was delusional." Tears were rolling down her cheeks, falling onto the tablet.

Adelyn was silent through Sylvia's tirade, her expression changed to one of pure sympathy. Her amber eyes suddenly burned with passion.

"Stay there. Pack your bags."

Sylvia halted for a moment. "W-what?"

There was a fire in Adelyn's eyes, greater than ever before. "You're going on a journey, whether your parents like it or not."

Sylvia was shocked. "B-but I'm locked in here!"

Adelyn smiled, a devious expression forming on her face. "I have my ways. See you in a couple of hours."

The device clicked, and Sylvia leaned back. Though she was still confused, there was a new emotion in her wide blue eyes: hope.

Sylvia wasted no time packing. She knew her parents were asleep - she'd heard them do their nighttime routine and enter their room - so she remained very quiet.

_Guidebooks - check._

_Art supplies - check._

_First aid kit - check._

_Camera - check._

_Incubator - check._

She placed all these things, along with some other simple items, into a backpack - slinging it onto her back. Finally, she tied her hair back, and her gaze fell onto the trainer's hat that she kept on her nightstand. Her heart beating through her chest, she put it on her head. It fit perfectly. When she was sure she'd finished, she sat on her bed, waiting.

In around two hours - she hadn't been counting, but the stars were bright and the moon was high in the sky - she heard a faint knock on her window. She jumped up, startled, and turned towards it. Staring back at her was Adelyn's face.

Sylvia was about to say something, but Adelyn placed her finger to her mouth, in a shushing gesture. The girl pulled out a pocket knife, startling Sylvia.

The fiery-haired trainer meddled with the lock on Sylvia's window, until it finally popped. Adelyn pushed it open, smiling victoriously.

"Adelyn!" Sylvia whispered, smiling.

"Shh! Do you have everything packed?" the older teen asked, her voice even quieter. Sylvia nodded.

"Wait a sec - there's one thing I have to do…" Sylvia realized, moving to her desk. She pulled out a pen and paper, and began to write.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this, but you forced me to. If I'd have stayed, I know I wouldn't be happy. And that's what you wanted, right? For me to be happy?_

_I'll be safe, I promise. I won't get into any trouble. Don't come after me, I won't come back until you understand._

_I love you more than you can comprehend._

_Your Daughter Always,_

_Sylvia._

She set the note down on her bed, where it was visible in plain sight. Taking a deep breath in, she nodded to Adelyn.

"I'm ready," she whispered.

Adelyn nodded back, opening the window wider. She motioned for Sylvia to drop her bag out of the window, which the younger girl promptly did.

Adelyn gestured Sylvia forward, and whispered again. "You're going to need to climb out the window."

Sylvia took a breath in again, before lifting herself over the ledge. She sat on the outside of the window, before slipping down and landing on the ground softly.

Adelyn motioned for Sylvia to follow, before taking off. Sylvia followed, taking one last look at her house. She wouldn't be seeing it for a long time.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. Not wasting any more time, she took off after Adelyn.


End file.
